When Bed Bath & Beyond begins shuttering its stores after filing for bankruptcy last weekend, shoppers will have plenty of other retail options for linens and shower curtains — but it will be much harder to fill the void for the weird, inventive merchandise the iconic retailer offered, from sections exclusively dedicated to flameless candles, pet furniture covers and bird supplies, or “As Seen on TV” products.
A CNN analysis of the more than a dozen categories online shoppers can navigate on the Bed Bath & Beyond website showed that the lion’s share of the store’s inventory was actually dedicated to the idea of “Beyond.”
Just under 15% of the website sub-categories CNN reviewed were dedicated to bed and bath wares specifically. The rest are spread among other home goods and retail categories, the largest being kitchen and home decor. Smaller categories included pet supplies, which had separate sections for bird supplies and pet furniture covers.
The in-person store even has an entire section dedicated to “As Seen on TV” gadgets for the infomercials devotees, like ShamWow! absorbent towels, the Vasta Veggie & Fruit Sheet Slicer, or the TubShroom shower drain hair catcher.
This wide variety of sundries may be why Bed Bath & Beyond had such a loyal following, even being mentioned in popular shows like “Broad City.” Shoppers could go in for new pillowcases and emerge with an ezEggs hard-boiled egg peeler.
As the company begins closing its remaining 360 Bed Bath & Beyond stores and the coupons expire, there will be deep-discount sales to get the remaining items off shelves.
The silver lining: you may be able to finally get that 11-foot solar-powered cantilever patio umbrella or waterproof backseat pet hammock at a low, low price.
